Henry Cavill named as new Superman

Henry Cavill has been cast as the new Superman.

The British actor has signed up to take on the role of Clark Kent and his superhero alter-ego in 2012 movie 'Superman: Man of Steel'.

In a statement, Henry - who follows in the footsteps if Brandon Routh and the late Christopher Reeve by taking on the iconic character - said: "In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognised and revered character of all time, and I am honoured to be a part of his return to the big screen."

An executive at Warner Brothers - the studio who will produce the movie - said of Henry's new role: "He's got an amazing quality. He doesn't look too much like Reeve and Routh but he's big and strong and he has a very modern feel to him. We're really going to try and make Superman as contemporary as possible."

The new film will be directed by Zack Snyder and released in December 2012.

Henry, 27, is most famous for his role of Charles Brandon in TV show 'The Tudors'.